Give me the Words
by ShiruyTheSecond
Summary: Companion piece to Original Sin. It's a series of drabbles about the time before the start of that story, and focuses on Naruto's and Minato's relationship. MinaNaru
1. Breathe

My muse is being obstinate, so I took a break from Original Sin. Unfortunately, Minato and Naruto weren't happy with that at all, so they bugged me until I relented and decided to write a few drabbles about the months before Original Sin. I'm playing around with PoVs again, so maybe it gets a bit weird sometimes, but oh well. It's the purpose of these drabbles to give the reader a better idea about what Naruto's and Minato's relationship is like.

I'm horrible at thinking up titles, so I took a line from the song "In a Manner of Speaking" by Nouvelle Vague. Beautiful song, and it fits my mood.

Summary: _Don't forget to breathe._

--

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

A step forward, careful to bend the knees at the right angle, center your gravity at the bottom of your spine, shoulders straight, arms relaxed.

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

The right arm goes up, make sure to keep your wrist straight and tense, shift your weight from the back foot to the other.

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

Bring your left arm up in a block, pay attention to your hip--you tend to leave it unguarded--and don't forget to brace yourself, keep your legs relaxed enough for a quick dodge.

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

Two steps back, mind the shifting center of gravity, keep your arms up, shoulders straight-- his hands on your waist.

_Breathe in. Breathe--_

Warm breath against your ear as he shifts your stance a little, his voice quiet in the still morning air. "Don't straighten your back too much, or you'll lose some of your mobility."

_Breathe--_

His hands trailing down over your thighs and you can feel yourself tremble, afraid that he'll hear your pounding heart and know that it's not because of the kata. "Keep your knees farther apart, it'll give you a firmer stance."

_Breathe--_

Fingertips ghosting over your clothed knees and like a puppet you follow his instructions, dazed by the feeling of his chest against your back. You catch his scent through the lingering smell of your sweat.

_Breathe--_

"That's it." A quick squeeze to your shoulder and he walks back to his resting spot against a tree, a proud, oblivious smile on his face.

_Breathe--_

"You're doing well. You'll have the kata down soon."

_--out. _

--


	2. Temptation

Summary: _It's kind of worrying how it's getting harder to keep yourself in check. _

--

You grumble sleepily, wondering what has woken you up, and burrow deeper under your blankets, trying to doze off again. Unfortunately, the reason becomes apparent as you swallow and find your throat completely parched. You contemplate ignoring it in favour of sleep, but by then you are already awake enough for coherent thoughts, so you might as well get up.

With an annoyed sigh you roll out of bed, shivering as your naked feet hit the cool wooden floor. You really need a rug in here. There's a light shining from beneath the door to your father's room and you frown, wondering how late it is. Didn't he say that he'd go to bed early today? Damn liar.

The hinges make no sound as you slowly open the door, but it probably wouldn't have made a difference even if you had banged it open, stubbed your toe and then jumped around the room cursing like a sailor. He's out cold, slumped over his desk and using several important looking scrolls as pillow, the ink on the documents now smudged.

Your steps seem unnaturally loud in the quiet room, but as expected he doesn't move, though you don't know whether it's because he subconsciously knows you are no threat, or because he's too exhausted to wake up. You hate it when he works himself into a state like this, but no matter what you say or do, he doesn't listen to you anyway. It's frustrating as hell, but you have resigned yourself to it somewhere along the way. All you can do is make sure he gets his rest once he's finally passed out.

He stirs a little as you lay your hand on his shoulder, but even as you rest it at the base of his neck he doesn't wake up, only moves around a little to get more comfortable. You trail your fingertips over his skin, resting them beneath his chin so that you can feel his heartbeat pulsing beneath his skin. It's calm and even, typical for someone soundly asleep, and some part of you that you'd like to deny even exists wonders what it would take to get his pulse racing, turn his even breaths into pants, and force a flush onto his relaxed features.

You force yourself to take a step back and shake his shoulder, softly calling out, "Minato."

He murmurs something in reply, but it's too quiet for even you to understand, and instead of waking up he crosses his arms on the desk and hides his face in them. You can't help but smile at how adorable he looks and carefully run your fingers through his tousled hair, combing out the few tangles you find. Again he mumbles something, just as incomprehensibly as before, and leans a little into your touch, making your heart flutter with repressed emotion.

You don't know when you came closer again, but when you lean down to whisper into his ear you can nuzzle your nose into his hair, breath in the heady scent that's entirely him. "Minato. Wake up, you have to go to bed."

He murmurs louder this time and his breathing gets shallower, signaling that he's waking up. You run your fingers through his hair again, fiddling around with the soft strands, and it's alright if you just stand here and wait for him to become coherent, isn't it? You aren't doing anything bad.

"Hnn...'ruto?"

You should step back and take your hand away now, but it's like you're glued to the place, your body unable to follow your mind's command even as your fingers continue to comb through his hair.

"Feels good..."

His words aren't more than a nearly inaudible sigh, but it's enough to make you freeze for a few seconds. There's an answer at the tip of your tongue and your mouth feels dry as you swallow heavily.

"You should go to bed, dad."

He grumbles a little, then sits up and tips his head back into your hand, blinking blearily against the light. The rings under his eyes are almost as dark as the ink smudge on his cheek.

"What time is it?" he yawns and stretches, involuntarily shaking off your hand. You finally convince your body to take that step back.

"I don't know. Late."

"Hhnng, I've gotta finish these reports... " He yawns again and rubs his eye, smearing the ink all over his face.

"Go to bed. It's too late to work," you answer with a frown, annoyed by the way your hands are just itching to wipe the smudges off.

He glances at the crinkled scrolls and shakes his head. "No, I have to finish here. These reports--"

"Will still be here tomorrow," you interrupt him resolutely and tug at his shoulder. "Go to bed."

He throws another glance at the papers, at his bed, and then at his own rumpled state. He sighs heavily. "I guess you're right."

He stands up and shrugs his coat off while giving you a tender smile. "You are just like your mother, always taking care of me. I wonder what I'd do without you."

You cover the heavy feeling in your chest with an amused snort and avert your eyes as he starts to strip. "Probably exhaust yourself until you pass out in your lunch, and then you'd be famous for being the first and only Hokage who ever drowned in his ramen."

He chuckles and nods while shuffling off his pants. "And wouldn't that be a sweet way to go? Honestly, I can't imagine any way I'd rather die."

You can think of one or two, but since they all involve you two naked and in a bed you keep your mouth shut.

By the time you've managed to shake of the images accompanying your thoughts he's down to his boxers and getting into bed, and you can't convince yourself that you shouldn't stare at the way his sinewy muscles ripple as he tugs the blanket up over himself and gets comfortable. Lying on his side and facing you he finally seems to be content and gives you a sleepy smile.

"Thanks for waking me. Good night then, ne?"

You nod and mutter a quiet "Good night," but instead of leaving, your feet carry you over to the bed, making you wonder just what madness your body is planning to do this time, and why you aren't trying harder to stop yourself.

"Naruto?"

His face is a picture of sleepy confusion and if your smile is just a little sad, he doesn't notice. You reach out to carefully rub at the black smudges marring his skin and it's so soft beneath your rough fingertips, you wonder if it's like this everywhere.

He looks a little more awake and even more confused now, and you'd like to delude yourself into thinking that that's a light blush settling over his cheeks, but you know it's just because you rubbed at the skin. Your explanation consists of only one word, "Ink."

He smiles and closes his eyes, holding perfectly still as you work to clean of the dark spots, and if you keep trailing your fingers over his face just a tad bit longer even after it's clean, then he doesn't need to know, does he?

"Good night, dad."

Again, your voice sounds unnaturally loud in the quiet room and there is no answer, his deepening breathing telling you that he has already fallen asleep again. You absentmindedly let your eyes wander over his features, not really thinking about anything and trying to ignore the bundle of conflicting emotions in your stomach.

He looks so peaceful like this, completely different from when he's concentrating on his work or frowning sternly at some idiot who messed up. The stress lines disappear and leave his face all smooth and kind, looking like he's barely in his twenties, and it makes you want to--

You catch yourself before you can lean all the way down, for one long moment horrified at what you almost did, then you hastily straighten up and hurry to the door. You are so, so stupid, what if he isn't really asleep yet, what if he woke up again, what if you--what if you couldn't stop?

Your hands tremble as you hit the light switch and close the door behind you. Your throat is still parched, but it's not water that you're thirsting for.

--


	3. Ghosts

Summary: _There used to be a ghost in the house._

Dedicated to Sidheag from y!gallery.

--

There used to be a ghost in the house.

It only appeared on the really bad days, when the sky was so dark at noon it seems to be night and Minato hid himself away in his room to drink cup after cup of sake, but once it was there, it refused to go away for hours.

For a long time, Naruto didn't know what to do on these days, so he only watched the ghost as it wandered around the house, trailing its fingertips over the photographs on the walls, straightening the curtains and shaking its long, red hair at the mess of unwashed dishes in the kitchen sink. He was torn between telling it to go away and asking it to stay, because while its smell of withered flowers and rusted metal made his nose tingle unpleasantly, Minato sometimes set his cup down when it came to stand behind him.

The day after Naruto's thirteenth birthday was another of these really bad days, and he knew the reason why. The pale sun was blocked out by black clouds and the drizzling rain, and when his father came home from the office early he wasn't surprised. Still, he couldn't help the tight feeling in his chest as the man mechanically kicked off his boots and shuffled into his room, closing the door behind himself with a quiet clack. He wanted to follow Minato, grab him by the shoulders and just _shake him_ until that dead look in his eyes vanished, but the door was as daunting as the lingering presence of the demon in the teen's soul and he couldn't bring himself to move.

He was lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling when the ghost appeared, and his first reaction was to wrinkle his nose. He watched as it started its usual round, trailing its fingers over the old photographs with a wistful smile, and when it got to the newer ones he stood up and walked over to the wall, getting in its way. There was no dust on these, since he had put them up himself recently, and he didn't want the ghost to spoil them.

He felt like a wretch when it looked at him with horribly sad eyes, but he didn't want to change his mind and it turned around and started for the door, ignoring the unsaid words that kept Naruto away from the wooden barrier. He thought about the shadow standing behind his father, resting its hands on his shoulders and making him smile mournfully, and then he ignored the unsaid words too and opened the door.

Minato looked up in surprise as his son entered the room, but Naruto didn't pay attention to that either, his mouth twisting into a grim frown as he saw that the first bottle of sake was already gone. As expected the ghost was there, red hair swaying in a non-existent breeze, and its gentle smile seemed to mock the teen as he strode forward and fell to his knees besides the startled man, first prying the cup from limp fingers and setting it aside, then throwing his arms around the older blond in a tight embrace.

He didn't know the right words, and even if he had, his throat was too tight to speak, but when Minato slowly raised his arms to return the embrace, he thought that maybe he didn't need any. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, drowning out the withered flowers and rusted steel with sake, forest and _life_, and when he opened his eyes again the ghost was staring at him.

He returned the stare with an even gaze, unwilling to back down even as he felt his father trembling against him and the smell of salt in the air getting thicker, and when the man hid his face against his neck he silently told it to _go away_.

It took a step back and frowned unhappily, but Naruto forbade himself to feel guilty. Its right to claim a piece of Minato had long since expired, it was high time for it to pass that part on to someone who would actually be able to take care of it.

A sob broke the silence of the room, making the teen tighten his embrace and press a kiss into his father's hair even while he glowered at the ghost. It was still there, watching them with a blank expression and blood on its dress, and when it reached out its hand for them he lost his patience and bared his teeth in a silent snarl. It flinched back, hurt crawling over its delicate features, and all Naruto could think was _He's mine, go away_.

It hesitated, took another step back, and then Naruto turned away to concentrate on the shaking bundle of deep-seated sorrow in his arms.

She-- it didn't come back.

--


	4. Impressions

Summary: _There are some things you never forget. _

--

The first time Naruto met Kyuubi he was six years old.

Even to his day he can't remember the details of how he came to be in that clearing; he only knows what his father told him later, that one of his Anbu guards was a traitor who sold him out. He has no recollection of what their faces looked like, whether they wore cloaks or rags, whether it hurt when his hands were bound behind his back, or how many of them were there.

What he does remember is the sick feeling of overwhelming fear, the desperation gnawing at his sanity, and the salty taste of his tears. He remembers the man who hit him to make him stop crying, and he remembers the malicious amusement flooding his senses as he was plunged into darkness. Down, down, down, until he could feel nothing but the breath of a gigantic shadow ruffling his hair.

As far as he knows there were no words, but it's possible that he forgot them, and if he did, then they weren't important anyway. There's one image that is still perfectly clear in his mind--that of a huge fox bending down to glower at him in hatred and disgust, red energy swirling around its enormous paws in mesmerizing patterns. He remembers the fear and awe that made his hands tremble as he reached out to touch one of the hazy clouds slowly creeping its way towards him, and the excruciating pain as the energy latched on and burned its way through his veins, his system struggling to adapt to the sudden influx of inhuman chakra.

Maybe he can't recall what their faces looked like, but he will never forget their screams. He will never forget the dizzying exhilaration that swept through him as the scent of their fear clogged up his nose, what their blood tasted like as he watched his body rip them to pieces, and how his head was pounding with deafening laughter echoing in his ears and spilling from his mouth.

It's been eight years since that day, the clearing is a different one, and when his consciousness is forced down into the damp darkness of his mind, there is nothing but a large empty cell to greet him, though he can still feel the demon's hatred swirling in a dark red haze just over the floor. There's no barking laughter in his ears when he opens his eyes, no endless rage echoing his own, but the bubbling chakra coating him tints his world just as red as it did back then, and when he rips out his enemy's throat, their blood tastes just as sweet.

He wants to laugh and revel in the feeling of the warm, sticky liquid dripping from his chin and his claws, staining his white teeth a sinister crimson, but clearer than the exhilaration--more distinct than the feeling of invincibility and cruel amusement--he remembers the look in his father's eyes when he was finally found.

Naruto feels sick.

--


	5. Selfdelusion

Starting from the first rough draft, I think I redid this one about seven or eight times. It's the first time I've writte a piece that focuses entirely on Minato, so it was a little more difficult, but I think it turned out alright. Thanks to the people who reviewed, I really appreciate it!

Shiruy

--

Summary: _Let's play a game. It's called 'Pretend'. _

_--_

_I wonder if he has any idea just how adorable he looks when he's pouting like that_, Minato thinks with a smile.

He's leaning in the doorway, watching his son whirl around the kitchen, trying to create cookies that aren't salty instead of sweet, horribly spicy, or burnt to a crisp. Needless to say, so far he hasn't been especially successful, as is shown by all the failed attempts littering the kitchen counter.

The teen hasn't noticed yet that Minato is home and the older blond takes the time to simply observe. He has been so busy lately, he hasn't been able to spend a lot of time with Naruto. And now, letting his gaze wander over the familiar lines of his son's face, noting all the little changes the last few months have brought, he can't help but feel that he's missing out on something important.

The older blond winces as a bag of flour slips through Naruto's fingers and sends up a rather spectacular dust cloud as it hits the floor, making the teen yelp in distress.

Minato is torn between grimacing and laughing, watching his son sneeze and curse, but before he can decide to do one thing or the other, the flour settles down and he freezes in place.

The powder is dusted all over the young blond's face, tinting the sun-tanned skin an ethereal white and hiding the whisker-like scars as if they'd never been there in the first place. It's caught in his lashes, clinging to the bangs falling into startingly blue eyes, the stark contrast almost making them seem to glow, and all of a sudden, there's a stranger standing in Minato's kitchen.

The older one's chest feels oddly tight as he takes in the sight before him, the whole scene striking him as strangely beautiful, yes, almost enticing; but also as just a little bit unsettling. For a moment the figure in front of him is like a porcelain doll. Perfect, cold, and dead.

Nonetheless, he is exceedingly aware of his own racing heart, of the utter fascination that is making his head spin, and the tight, hot feeling in his stomach that he doesn't particularly care to think about.

Then the teen is cursing again and starts to dust himself down, and Minato feels like he's been splashed with cold water. This is Naruto. His son. What the hell is he thinking ? Clearly, his mind must be playing tricks on him.

He takes another look, and the feelings are still there. He swallows heavily.

_It's the flour_, he tells himself. _I'm not--I wouldn't have felt that normally. It must be the flour._

And before he quite knows what he's doing, he's striding across the room, not noticing the way Naruto's gaze locks onto him the second he notices him, or the sheepish smile that crawls over the young (_fartooperfect_) face. Thoughts are whirling through his mind at a rapid pace, but when he meets his son's gaze his eyes are so blank that the teen takes an uncertain half-step back, his smile vanishing.

Minato is deaf to how the other's breath hitches when he leans down until their noses are almost touching, and though he's fixing the younger blond with an intense stare, he's blind to the way the other's pupils dilate, sky blue eyes becoming heavy with some unnamed emotion and words dying as they try to spill over suddenly mute lips. He takes a deep breath, absently noting how the flour tickles in his nose and the scent of sugar and cake batter seems overwhelmingly strong this close to his son, and then softly blows on the teen's face, revealing familiar features beneath the white mask of perfection.

When he stops, there's still some of the dust caught in the younger one's lashes, but now it's Naruto staring back at him in bewilderment, not this other person who made his chest tight and his stomach--nothing(_it never happened, so it can't be anything)_. He smiles in relief and ruffles his son's hair, sending up another flour cloud and making the teen pout sulkily.

"Had a little accident, huh?"

"Aw, shut up."

This is the way it's supposed to be.

--


	6. Innocence

I've got two drabbles in a row for you now, and though it may not be obvious, they go together. Maybe you'll see what I mean, maybe not, but I hope you'll like them either way.

Shiruy

--

Summary: _Just a little misunderstanding. _

--

Kakashi looks at the Uchiha, the Haruno, and Naruto, and wonders what the fuck the Hokage was thinking.

The Uchiha is leaning back in his seat with crossed arms, and while he's obviously trying to glare it looks more like a pout to the jounin. The pink-haired girl is sitting in the next seat, all her attention fixed on the sulking clan heir, and if her blush and her besotted smile are any indication, becoming a good kunoichi is the furthest thing from her mind right now.

Naruto is sitting on a desk in the middle of the classroom, with his back to the wall and positioned in such a way that with a single jump, he can be out the open window two rows further down. His expression is a careful mix between neutral politeness and a cheerful smile, and if it weren't for the way he's tapping his foot, Kakashi would have thought the teen was completely at ease. The way it is, the jounin knows that Naruto has no idea how to deal with the other two children.

"Alright," the man claps his hands, immediately causing three pairs of eyes to snap to him. The girl opens her mouth, most likely to complain about him being late, but he talks right over her. "Tomorrow morning we'll do some survival training, but for now I want to know more about you. Tell me... hmm...no. I've got a better idea. Each of you gets to ask his teammates five questions, and I want the answers to be truthful."

There's a mischivous glint in the blond boy's eyes and Kakashi hurries to add,"Also, no embarrassing questions. I just want us to get to know each other."

Naruto deflates a little, but the Haruno seems quite happy with the whole arrangement, and launches righ in. "Alright. Uhm, Sasuke-kun, who do you... uhm, a-are you in love with someone?"

It's a little pathetic, watching her blush deep red, but at least she can't see the Uchiha's annoyed glare, since she averted her eyes in embarrassment. Naruto cocks his head to the side, unsure whether to get involved or just stay out of the conversation for now.

"No."

There are several seconds of silence, in which Sakura sinks into her chair, a cloud of depression almost visible hanging over her head, and then the blond decides that this is just too awkward.

"What's your favourite drink, Sakura?"

She flinches, as if she has forgotten that there's a fourth member on their team, and turns around to give Naruto an owlish look. Kakashi is not impressed.

"Uh, lemon tea, I guess. Yours?"

The teen grins brightly, proud that he's done something right, and answers enthusiastically, "Apple juice! What about you, Sasuke?"

At first, the dark-haired boy looks a little surprised to be included, then he shrugs uncomfortably and stares out the window. "Milk."

Kakashi smiles a little under his mask, happy that they've managed to break the ice. He doesn't want to fail Naruto tomorrow, but that doesn't mean he'll hand him his promotion to genin on a silver platter. If the team shows no teamwork, he won't accept them.

"So who do you like, Naruto?"

Sakura is grinning teasingly and Sasuke looks a little smug, and Kakashi wonders what he has missed while his mind was off thinking. But Naruto looks entirely undisturbed, swinging his legs back and forth, and so the silver-haired man feels no need to step in. Besides, he's kind of curious about the answer.

"My father."

A moment of shocked silence; then: "What?! Idiot! I meant _like_ like! Geez."

Sakura is blushing in embarrassment and shaking her head, while Sasuke's rolling his eyes. Naruto just cocks his head to the side and shrugs. "But it's true. He's the most important person in my life."

"Maybe, but you don't want to hold your father's hand and kiss him and go on dates and stuff!" Sakura explains impatiently.

For a second, it seems the teen wants to answer, his lips forming the word 'but' and an earnestly confused expression on his face, but then the girl sighs in exasperation and talks right over him, asking Sasuke one of her two remaining questions. The blond falls silent, his features twisted into a pensive frown, and the jounin can't help but wonder what he wanted to say.

Hours later he notices that Naruto never renounced his initial statement. He writes it off as the teen just forgetting to do so.

--


	7. Narcissism

Warnings: Sakura!bashing and Sasuke!bashing, though it's not on purpose. They just are that way at the time.

--

Summary: _Time has passed and no matter what Sakura thinks, Naruto does understand. He does._

--

Kakashi looks at Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto, and wonders what the fuck he had been thinking. Taking these brats on a five-days survival trip? _Fun_.

Sasuke is sitting on a log and pretending to be waiting for his fish to cook, when in reality he's glaring at Naruto, who's happily slurping his instant ramen. Sakura is still not finished pitching her tent, which may be because she's too busy mentally undressing her teammates, but Kakashi doesn't want to judge (_God, when's she ever going to grow up? Stupid girl.)._ Really, he doesn't.

"Alright," the man claps his hands, and two out of three jump in surprise. Shows how much attention they pay to their surroundings, if they haven't even noticed him coming back from the perimeter check. He wonders how they plan to survive the night.

"The perimeter is clear, so I'll go now. Don't forget to set up a night watch." Because if they forgot, their clothes would be missing in the morning and they'd have scribbles all over their faces. Sometimes, it was fun to be a teacher.

"Bye, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura chirps, while Sasuke grunts and Naruto gives him one of his more quiet but honest smiles. The jounin does his trademark eye crinkle, then seems to vanish into the trees, when in reality he only got comfortable on a branch a few metres above their heads and consealed himself with genjutsu. He wants to see how they will deal with the situation.

For a long moment it's quiet in the clearing, each of the three young ninja busy with their own thoughts, then the girl takes charge. "Okay! I want first watch. Sasuke, do you want third?"

Kakashi frowns a little, unhappy with how Sakura just gave Naruto the most exhausting second watch without even asking him, but the blond doesn't protest as the Uchiha nods his agreement. Instead he gives his teammates an--even for the jounin--unreadable look, before emptying his cup ramen with one last gulp and slapping a grin onto his face.

"Great! So I'll take second watch. But hey, I don't wanna go to bed yet, it's barely dark out here. Want to play a game or something?"

"How childish," Sasuke snorts. "Have you forgotten that we are on duty? We can't play games."

Naruto raises an eyebrow in incredulity and Sakura looks a little disappointed, but Kakashi didn't expect anything else. The only thing Fugaku was ever really good at was educating his sons in the high art of having a stick up one's ass.

"Fine," Naruto sighs. "Do you need help with your tent Sakura?"

The girl's face lights up in relief, quite ready to hand the distasteful task over to someone else, but then Sasuke makes a little noise of disgust, and her expression quickly changes to one of anger.

"What makes you think I need help? I can do this just fine on my own!"

The blond blinkes, not expecting the harsh answer, and then shrugs nonchalantly. "If that's what you want. But accepting some help every now and then doesn't make you weak, no matter what loverboy over there says. Or grunts, now that I think about it."

Kakashi winces a little at the teen's blunt honesty, quite aware of the way Sasuke is glaring and Sakura is slowly flushing in anger. He still has the hope that one of these days, Naruto will wake up and realize that not everyone appreciates being told the whole truth to their face, no matter what Anbu procedure taught him.

"Take that back, idiot!" Sakura screeches, getting up from fiddling around with her tent and stomping over to the surprised blond. "Sasuke does _not_ grunt, he just has a deep, manly voice! Unlike other people here!"

Naruto cocks his head to the side, unsure how to respond to her sudden anger. "What are you so upset about? I didn't lie, he does grunt occasionally."

"What am I so upset about? Just look at him!" She points at her crush, who is busy pretending to be completely uninterested in the conversation and not to know these two idiots.

"See?" She exclaims, her face suddenly a mask of adoration. "He's perfect! Of course you wouldn't understand, but to me, he's the most perfect guy in the world! So don't say bad things about him!"

Naruto looks at Sakura, at Sasuke, back at her, and then shakes his head. "I hope you know that he'll likely never return your feelings. The only thing he loves is his own reflection."

There's a loud screech, the cracking of splintering wood as the girl's fist hits the tree the blond was just leaning against, and from one second to the next Kakashi isn't alone on his branch anymore. The jounin doesn't know since when the other was aware of his presence, but the teen doesn't look at him and instead stares down at his raging teammate, a strangely wistful smile on his young face.

"But then again, he isn't the only one with that problem, is he?"

Kakashi wonders what his student means.

--


	8. Reverie

Hey, thanks to the people who reviewed! You people motivate me like nothing else. (Aside from Pocky, maybe.) Hope you like this piece.

Timeframe: Takes place about two or three weeks before Original Sin.

--

Summary: There's heat and then there's _heat_.

--

It was a scorching hot day and Naruto was sitting in a tree out in the forest, unable to bring himself to move. He was supposed to be laying traps or finding a good place to hide, but it was simply too hot. He'd rather lose this stupid exercise than do even one more step.

He'd already stripped off his jacket and was now contemplating whether the benefits of taking off his shirt as well were really worth the effort he'd have to make, but he came to no satisfying conclusion. Instead, he heard a rustling of leaves above him and resigned himself to the fact that his short break was over. With a sigh he sat up, grimacing as his sweat-drenched shirt stuck to the bark behind him, and got ready to jump off his perch.

All of a sudden, a perky--and very familiar--voice came from almost directly behind him. "Hey!"

Naruto eeped in surprise and would have fallen right off the branch if a quick hand hadn't grabbed him by the shoulder and tugged him back against a pair of legs. Minato grinned down at him.

"And here I felt guilty for skipping out on work while you were training, but you don't seem very busy yourself, huh?"

The teen pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, but his annoyed gestures were easily revealed as lies by the way his body automatically relaxed and leaned back against his father, who was keeping himself attached to the tree at a strange angle with chakra.

"I'm supposed to be hiding while Sakura searches us, but... yeah. Too hot."

Naruto rested his head against the other's knees and looked up, but because of the bright rays of sunlight filtering through the leaves he had to squint and all he saw was a vague silhouette. However, his eyes didn't need to see for him to know what kind of smile would accompany that certain tone of amusement in his father's voice.

"Then it's exceedingly fortunate that I've brought something along to help you cool down, hmm?"

The young blond still couldn't see, but he recognized the characteristic 'snap', and when a red popsicle was dangled in front of his nose he felt a grateful grin spread over his face.

"You," he grabbed the ice and promptly stuffed it into his mouth. "Ae fe beft fatha eva!"

Minato laughed as his son sighed blissfully and closed his eyes, concentrating on the wonderfully refreshing treat in his mouth. It was cherry flavour, one of his favourites, and he moaned in delight as he sucked on the already melting treat, slowly pulling it out of his mouth. It was deliciously cool as he let his tongue lick along the sides, catching the drops that were threatening to run down his hand, and he allowed himself to slump back against his father's legs, a beatific smile on his red tinged lips. This was simply perfect.

As he watched the teen devour his popsicle, occasionally biting a bit off his own, the older blond's smile gradually faded and a light flush settled on his cheeks. He had come here because he was sick of his office, of the heat, and especially of not seeing Naruto for days on end because of this _goddamn _treaty with Sand, but the popsicles, his mind added helpfully, he had probably brought along because he was a masochist.

He tried to concentrate on his own stick of ice cream, but the teen kept making these little _sounds_, and he couldn't quite help the way his eyes kept straying back to the sight of the glistening wet popsicle vanishing between dark red lips. Of course, it _wasn't _because it was Naruto--that would have been just _sick_. Minato was just a little... high-strung. Tense. And maybe even lonely. But it had nothing to do with the fact that the one moaning throatily and looking like he was sucking on a... Well, it had nothing to do with the fact that it was Naruto, that was for sure.

"Dad?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, the man looked down at his son, only to freeze like a deer caught in the headlights. The teen was looking up at him with a perfectly innocent expression (_too innocent?_), his blue eyes almost dazzling in the sunlight and the vibrantly red tip of the popsicle softly laying against his lips. Minato felt his blush get worse.

"What's wrong? You aren't eating your ice cream."

In one motion, Naruto stood up and swung around on the narrow branch, coming nose to--well, collar bone with his father. "See, it's already dripping!"

The older blond blinked and slowly looked at where his son was pointing, noting that, yes, he had some of the sweet stuff running down his fingers. Still, it seemed his brain functions weren't quite up to par right now, because by the time he had understood that, Naruto had already gripped his hand and was licking up the red trail, his tongue surprisingly cool against the other's skin.

Minato swallowed, hard, and the heat from his cheeks seemed to drop down into his stomach, where it formed a scorching knot of tension.

"Na-Naruto?"

The teen looked up from what he was doing, meeting his father's gaze evenly as if he wasn't doing anything unusual at all, and then licked the trail up the other's middle finger, sucking a little at the tip to get rid of the rest of the sticky mess. Minato felt like he was going to pass out any second now, and in the distance was the sound of a whistle.

Naruto smiled and took a step back, licking his lips. "Seems like I have to go. But thanks for coming. Will you be home for dinner?"

"Wh-what? Err, right. Dinner. Uhm, sure. Yes, I'll be home." (_Breathe Minato, just breathe. And stop thinking about coming._)

"Great!" The teen grinned brightly. "See you then!"

And before the older blond quite knew what to say Naruto was gone, jumping from tree to tree to meet his teammates. Minato stared at the after the dot of orange until he couldn't see it anymore, then turned his gaze on the still melting popsicle in his hand, quite determined not to acknowledge the way his pants felt a little tight. Of course, it was only because of the heat, and because he was so tense, and because he was lonely and not used to, uh, attention like this anymore. Really. Not that Naruto had done it intentionally! His innocent little boy (_a bit too innocent, don't you think?)_ had had no idea what he was doing to his father--not that he _had_ done anything. Because nothing had happened. And Naruto hadn't done anything.

And while he was at it, he could also pretend he had never left his office.

...

"I'm so screwed."

--


	9. Company

For once a piece that's a little more humorous. Hope you guys like it!

Shi

--

Summary: _While other children were afraid, he was curious. _

--

When Naruto was four, he thought the house was haunted.

There were shadows in the shadows, black flittering at the edges of his vision and sometimes, when his daddy couldn't take him to the office and Kakashi wasn't here yet, he listened really closely and heard them breathing.

He told his big brother about them, but Kakashi said that he must be imagining things, because ghosts weren't real. He pretended to accept that, but later that evening, when Kakashi had left again and his daddy wasn't home yet, Naruto listened again and it was still there. The sound of three people breathing, of hearts beating, one in the black shadow of the wardrobe, one outside on the windowsill, and the last in the hallway, somewhere on the ceiling.

He didn't know what to make of it. He had been told that ghosts were scary, but he couldn't see them and they didn't do anything, so how could they scare him? He decided to wait and see, and if the ghosts turned out to be scary he'd tell his daddy about them and he'd make them go away (Because his daddy was perfect and if the ghosts didn't leave then he'd beat them up!).

He spent the next few weeks figuring out just how many ghosts there were, and came to the conclusion that a whole bunch of them must be camping out in his home, though a few were only there every third day and a few were there almost always. He wondered why that was so, maybe there was a ghost inn in their attic and they came here to rest? But then why would they sleep under the couch? It just didn't make sense.

And Naruto, being who he was, decided that if it didn't make sense, he'd just have to ask one of the ghosts to find out the truth (though he wouldn't ask the one with the red hair--she was just creepy and didn't even breathe). Unfortunately, that was easier said then done, because as soon as he came closer to one of their usual hiding places, they seemed to up and vanish, only to reapper at a whole different place in the house. It was infuriating, really, and Naruto spent almost a whole day uselessly running around the house before he grew smart and came to the conclusion that he'd have to trap one of the ghosts somehow. Nothing else seemed to be working, after all.

Now, it is important to know that though there were keys in the house, Naruto usually wasn't allowed to lock doors. His daddy said that it could be dangerous, he could hurt himself and then no one could get in to help him. Naruto wasn't sure how he could hurt himself in his room, but he complied anyway. If his father said it was so, then he was right.

In this one instance, though, he reluctantly went against his daddy's orders and locked a door. The closet door, to be exact. The closet door behind which one of the ghosts was hiding between Naruto's toys. He knew that the redhaired ghost could walk through walls, but she didn't need to breathe either, so maybe this one would have to stay inside until Naruto opened the door again, and the boy wouldn't do that until the ghost asked for it. Because once it had done that, it knew that Naruto knew it was there, so obviously it wouldn't make much sense anymore to flee!

It was slightly mean, being locked in wasn't very nice, Naruto knew, but he wanted to know why there were ghosts in his house and so he had to do this. He could still hear the breathing inside the closet after he had locked it, and content with his genius master-plan working out, he settled down to wait. It couldn't take forever for the ghost to grow tired, right? At least he hoped so.

In the end, it took six hours and twenty one minutes, and Naruto only knew that because in these six hours and twenty one minutes, he was bored out of his mind. Kakashi had been there and had tried to play with him, but Naruto had stubbornly staid in his place in front of the closet, and soon the young man gave up and instead went into the living room to read. When evening rolled around and the boy still hadn't moved, his big brother grew concerned and asked Naruto why he wouldn't move away from his spot in front of the closet, but the only answer he got was that it was a secret. Bemused, Kakashi had left, his shift up and knowing that Minato would be home soon.

It took another few minutes after Naruto was alone again until something happened, but finally, _finally!_, the door rattled as something tried to open it from the inside. Elated beyond belief, Naruto jumped up and unlocked the door, throwing it wide open--and found himself face to face to a crouching _thing_.

The first thing the boy noticed was its face, the snow-white, weirdly smooth features marred by red lines that kind of made it seem like an owl was staring back at Naruto. He was a bit disappointed because it wasn't half as creepy as the boy had expected; weren't ghosts supposed to be bloody, after all? (The other one was.) Still, the rest of it made up for that lack, since it looked like it was crouching in his closet, all black and smooth and with bone for it's arms and upper body, ready to pounce on little Naruto and devour him like a good monster should.

Maybe he should have been afraid, but instead all he felt was satisfaction. Because finally he could ask his question!

"Is there a ghost inn in the attic?"

The thing stared at him for several silent moments and Naruto stared right back, his blue eyes burning with curiosity. He _needed_ to know!

"Ghost inn...? What...?"

Its voice was smooth and low (if a bit confused), and not at all like the blond had imagined a ghost to sound, but he didn't care. It was nice anyway.

"Yes! And if there isn't, why are there so many ghosts hiding out around here?"

"Wait--what? What do you mean, ghosts?"

The child looked at the thing in the closet like it was stupid. "You're a ghost. And you're hiding in my home. And I wanna know why!"

"You think I'm a...?" It pointed at itself and Naruto noticed that it had remarkably human-like hands, though they were black.

"A ghost, yes! And I wanna know why you are here! Do you live in my closet?"

It stared at him for several moments and Naruto was starting to get impatient, but then it started laughing and the boy cocked his head to the side. What was so funny?

"Hey! Why are you laughing?"

"You--you think I'm a--" It continued chuckling, and the blond child blinked in surprise when it reached out and ruffled his hair, the black hand startingly warm and soft, almost like cloth.

"I'm a ninja, Naruto. An anbu." Its voice still thrummed with amusement, seemingly just barely suppressing another bout of laughter. The blond's eyes had grown wide. A real ninja? Like daddy and Kakashi and uncle Jiraiya?

"A _ninja_?! Wow! Cool! But...", he trailed off, a confused frown on his young face. "If you're ninjas, then why are you hiding in my closet? Or under the bed?" He threw a glance at the black shadow under the piece of furniture that had been laughing almost soundlessly for the last few minutes, but that grew very still the moment the boy voiced his last question.

The owl-face chuckled again. "We're here to make sure nothing bad happens to you, and we're hiding because you're not supposed to know we are here."

Naruto frowned in confusion. "Why am I not supposed to know you are here? And are you really a ninja? You're not very good at hiding."

Even though there was no change in Owl's expression, the boy could swear the man was still grinning. "You're not supposed to know so that we don't disturb your daily life. And usually people think I'm very good at hiding, though obviously I still have a few things to learn. How did you find me?"

"Don't worry, you're not the only one who's bad at hiding," Naruto reassured the ninja in his closet. "The others are just as loud as you."

"Loud? How?" Owl cocked his head to the side, and the blond child crossed his arms, proud that he knew something a ninja didn't.

"Well, you are all breathing very loudly and your hearts are beating and sometimes I can hear steps when you walk around!"

Owl sounded different when he spoke again, like he was thinking very hard. Naruto wondered why. "You can hear us breathe, hm? Can you tell me where the others are hiding?"

"Sure! There's one under the bed, and you were in my closet, obviously, and someone is in the bathroom down the hall and then there's someone on the roof," the boy answered enthusiasticially.

"You... are right. And you can really hear them?"

"Yeah. How else would I know where they are?"

"Hm... Say, would you like to play a game?"

"Sure! What kind of game?" Naruto asked enthusiastically. He had never played with anyone else but his daddy and Kakashi before!

"It's called 'Hide and Seek'. We hide and you come to find us, and once you have us all you hide and we have to try to find you. Okay?"

The boy thought that the game was a bit boring, he knew where the others were, after all, but he would give it a try anyway. "Okay!"

Over the next few days, Naruto met a lot of new people, because all the ninja--anbu, they called themselves--stopped avoiding him. Some even started playing with him! And they knew so many games! Naruto couldn't have been happier.

(Though the house was still haunted.)

--


	10. Regrets

Thanks to the people who reviewed. This piece is for Idlesana, 'cause she makes me laugh.

----------

Summary: _Some decisions you regret later in life. Others right away. _

----------

"Almost, make sure to get that last seal right... yeah, like that."

_Poof_

"Wow!"

"Cool!"

"This is so awesome!"

"Thanks Owl-san! This is so cool!"

"Err, yes..."

"I'm home!"

"Dad!"

"Hey, dad! Look at what Owl-san taught me today!"

"Isn't this awesome?! Now I can play with the others and learn new jutsu and eat ramen and visit you at the office ALL AT THE SAME TIME!"

"And! And I can play Hide'n'Seek with myself!"

"But I don't wanna be seeker!"

"Me neither!"

"I don't wanna either!"

"W-what? But I want to hide, too!"

"Tough luck, you were the last one to say it."

"No, that's not fair, I--"

"You're it!"

"He's it!"

"Fast, run away!"

"IIIEEHH, HE GOT ME!!"

Minato stood in the door to his home, his face frozen in an expression of utter horror. Slowly, very, _very_ slowly, he turned to stare at Owl.

"..."

"..."

"What... have you _done_..."

The anbu fidgeted guiltily. "He was giving me that look again."

Minato continued to stare. Owl continued to fidget.

Screaming and crashes filled the awkward silence as four Narutos tore through the house.

----------


	11. Mysteries

----------

Summary: _There are a few things Minato just doesn't understand about his son. _

----------

There are a few things Minato just doesn't understand about his son.

For example, he can't quite get why Naruto always gets so tense around ANBU. The teen doesn't remember the names of the traitors or what they looked like. He was drugged most of the time, so he has no recollection of how much pain he was in. He couldn't even remember how they got him out of the house in the first place, and it all happened years ago.

_[He remembers choking on the thick smell of blood when Hawk slit Owl's throat.]_

He also doesn't understand why, on the morning after a particularly bad day, Naruto suddenly insisted they had to take all pictures of his late wife down and threw a horrible tantrum until he got his wish.

As far as he knows, his son never heard a bad word about Kushina, there's nothing that could make the boy dislike his departed mother, and she looks friendly in all the pictures. It just makes no sense to him.

[_She's finally, __**finally**__ gone, and he's terrified that she'll try to come back.]_

More than anything else though, Minato doesn't understand why Naruto doesn't blame him for letting Kyuubi be sealed inside of him.

It was his decision that made his son into an unwilling sacrifice for the village, and while a few appreciate the teen for what he is doing for them, the large majority fear him. Also, Naruto has to suffer from the demonic senses pushed at him, and the man knows that when the absorption of the beast is complete it will only be worse. It's his fault his son had no friends his own age when he grew up, it's his fault enemies have tried again and again to kidnap him, it's his fault the council thinks a little boy is a handy weapon just waiting to be used. It's his fault Naruto can never lead a normal life.

[_He races against the wind, bare feet barely touching the bark before pushing off again, vivid colours dancing all around him as tantalizing scents and hidden trails lead him on a path made for no one but him, and he shouts in exhilaration at being so wonderfully __**alive**_.]

----------


End file.
